Vanity case construction



VANITY CASE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 15, 1935 INVENTOR 7710/7/15 M67550 ATToRNE+s Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE VANITY CASE CONSTRUCTION Application August 13, 1935, Serial No. 35,922

Claims.

This invention relates to a vanity case construction and more particularly to the powder sifting portion thereof.

One of the objects of this invention is to pro- 5 vide a vanity case construction which is simple,

practical and durable. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which may be made from inexpensive material and whose manufacture is free from complication and detail work. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which will be neat and attractive in appearance and yet be of such sturdy construction as to withstand hard usage. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which may be easily manufactured at a low cost due in part to simplicity of design and ease of assembly. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character wherein leakage through the powder sifting portion is materially reduced if not eliminated. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character from which the desired quantity of powder may easily be obtained. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character wherein the powder does not cake against or otherwise clog the powder sifting mechanism. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which may be easily refilled. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a compact having my powder sifter installed therein with the lid in an open position;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the compact shown in Figure 1 with the lid in a closed 45 position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the wall of the compact;

Figure 4 is a greatly enlarged plan view of a portion of the screen-like powder sifter, and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the powder sifter resting upon the powder after a portion of the powder has been sifted therethrough.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the 'several views of the drawing,

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention, it might here be pointed out that many compacts designed to carry loose powder have a screen-like powder sifter which holds the powder therein. Powder often cakes upon these screens or Sifters, making it very difficult to get a sufiicient amount of powder therethrough when desired. Furthermore, some of the powder sifts through screens of this general character into the upper part of the compact when it is moved about in every day use; thus a large amount of powder may collect upon the powder puff when not wanted where it may leak out into the pocket or purse in which it is carried. Furthermore, it is undesirable to have a large amount of powder on the puff while using it and consequently the user must shake some of the powder off the puff back into the vanity case, during which process powder may get on the users clothes and also rests in the upper compartment of the compact where it will leak out later as described above. Certain of the objects of this invention are to provide a construction wherein the above difficulties as well as many others are successfully and efficiently overcome.

Referring first to Figure 2, a compact generally indicated at I ll preferably comprises a bottom portion l2 having its outer edges spun inwardly to form a top portion l3 forming an aperture 8 (Figure 1) therein. Extending vertically from beneath the edge of aperture 8 to bottom portion I2 is an annular wall l4. Portions I2 and I3 and wall I4 preferably are constructed from a suitable metal or similar material and wall l4 may be secured therebetween in any suitable manner, e. g., soldering. Thus I have formed a well 9 within the compact ll] having a vertical side wall M, the bottom thereof being a part of portion l2.

An annular ring l5 fits within Well 9 adjacent and preferably parallel to wall l4 and extends from the upper edge of aperture 8 to the inside surface of bottom portion l2. A flange I6 is secured to and extends from the upper edge of ring l5 and extends outwardly over top portion 13 of the compact, thereby both strengthening and enhancing the appearance of the article. Flange It also extends inwardly to provide an annular seat I! (Figure 2) extending over the outer portion of well 9.

To hold ring I5 securely within well 9 and yet provide for easy removal thereof when desired,

I provide a catch generally indicated at l8 (Figure 3) near the top of wall l4. Catch i8 is preferably cut out of wall I 4 so that its pivots substantially about a horizontal axis. In the center of catch I8 I form a detent l9 having a channel 20 leading therefrom to the upper edge of the catch, and top portion I3 is provided with a slot 2| immediately thereabove. Upon annular ring IE at a point which is in registry with detent l9 when the ring is placed within well 9, there is a pimple 22 extending outwardly therefrom. Thus when ring I5 is to be placed within the well, pimple 22 is placed in registry with slot 2|. The ring is then pressed downwardly, the pimple guided by channel 20 drops into detent l9 and ring I5 is thus securely mounted in well 9.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a lid generally indicated at 23 having a metal mirror 24 secured therein rests upon seat I! and is hingedly secured thereto at a point directly above pimple 22. In order to hold lid 23 in a closed position I preferably provide a catch 25 at a point substantially opposite the hinge which snaps under the edge of seat I! when the lid is closed (Figure 2). Adjacent catch 25 I provide a fingerpiece 1 to open the cover by pulling catch 25 away from seat ll. When annular ring i5 is to be removed from the well of the compact, lid 23 may be opened, and as it is connected to annular ring 15 directly above pimple 22, by pulling upwardly thereupon, ring l5 and parts connected thereto which will be described hereinafter may easily be removed from well 9.

Mounted within ring I5 is an annular ring 26 which reenforces a screen-like member or sifter 2?, the specific characteristics of which will be described hereinafter. Ring 26 preferably fits snugly within ring l5 and is sufficiently large to form a sturdy frame for sifter 21. Resting between annular ring 26 and, seat I! is a coil spring 28 which presses downwardly upon annular ring 26 and consequently sifter 21 thus to press and hold the sifter against a suitable quantity of powder 29 beneath the screen.

Extending upwardly from annular ring 26 and preferably integral therewith is a handle 30 (Figures 1 and 2) by which the screen-like member 27 may be rotated. Thus the powder and the. spring are, in effect, bearings upon which the sifter may be rotated while confined within ring l5. In order to prevent spring 28 from forcing ring 26 and sifter 21 out of ring l5, when ring i5 is removed from well 9, I provide a plurality of lugs generally indicated at 3! (Figure 2) extending inwardly from the lower edge of annular ring l5. Thus annular ring l5, screen-like member 21, spring 28 and cover 23 may all be removed as a unit from the well in which they rest. Powder may thus be put in the well after which the unit may be reinserted, the spring holding the screen-like member down on the powder.

Although other types of screen-like material might be used for sifter H, I have found that a screen having perforations with sharp cutting edges produces highly desirable results. As pointed out above, spring 28 holds the sifter 21 down against powder 29, and, when this screenlike material is used, the compact may be jostled about in the pocket or the like and very little, if any, of the powder leaks through the sifter. However, when the cover is opened for an application of powder, handle 36 may be grasped to turn the sifter a slight bit within ring l5. Such a slight lateral motion of the sifter over the powder allows an adequate supply of powder to come,

through the sifter onto the upper surface thereof. Thus a sifter made from the screen-like material described in this application combines two admirable characteristics, i. e., the ability to seal the powder in the lower portion of well 9 when the compact is being carried, and the ability to sift out a considerable quantity of powder when the user desires it.

While I am not certain as to the precise characteristics of this screen-like material which 'make for these desired results, I am of the opinion that it is due to the comparatively fiat plane surfaces of the material which make the edges of the holes in the screen-like material comparatively sharp and knife-like. Referring to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a greatly magnified portion of screen-like member 21 having holes there in indicated at 32. The edges of holes 32, when greatly magnified in this manner, are substantially irregular as shown in Figure 5 in the same manner that an ordinary knife edge is irregular when greatly magnified. When sifter 21 is pressed against the powder, as shown in Figure 5, the individual particles of powder engage the irregular surfaces of the edges of the holes 32 and, due to these irregularities, tend to jam up in the holes so that they do not pass therethrough when the vanity case is jarred about in use. However, as soon as sifter member 21 is given a slight lateral motion with respect to powder 29, for example by moving handle 30 (Figure 2), the knife edges of the holes 32, moving across the top surface of the powder, force the individual particles of powder up through the holes onto the top surface of the sifter. Accordingly sifter member 21 combines the two advantageous features of sealing the powder in the lower portion of the container (Figure 2) and yet allowing easy access to the powder when desired.

It will be appreciated that the above-described operation of sifter member 21 is purely theoretical and thus may be erroneous. I do know however that a sifter member having the characteristics described above is markedly superior in operation to a sifter of common screen-like material made in the usual manner as by weaving individual strands of wire or the like. Sifters made from such screen-like wire are impractical be cause the powder tends to cake up on the underside thereof thus making it diflicult to get at the powder and making leakage through the sifter much more prevalent.

Perhaps these disadvantageous features of or dinary screen-like material can be explained in the following manner. The individual strands of such screen-like material are usually round in cross-section and thus the edges of the holes in the screen-like material are also round. Accordingly there is less resistance to the passage of the individual particles of powder along the edges of the holes in such screen and consequently powder may leak through. On the other hand, when such screen-like material is moved laterally over the surface of the powder, the particles thereof are not forced through the holes because the rounded edges of the holes tend to slide over the particles of the powder.

In addition, the usual screen comprises a definite number of warp and weft strands per unit area, the warp strands running over and under alternate weft strands. Thus at the intersection of each warp and weft strand there is formed a cavity or recess. Accordingly, either plane surface of a piece of ordinary screen has a plurality of cavities formed therein. It is possible that when this type of screen is moved over the surface of a finely divided powder, the particles of powder pack into the recesses to form the usual bothersome cake which is such an impediment to the passage of powder therethrough. Sifter 21 has fiat plane surfaces thus avoiding this difficulty.

In use, the unit comprising ring l5, sifter 21, spring 28 and cover 23 may be removed as described above and a suitable quantity of powder 29 can then be placed in the bottom of well 9. This unit may then be snapped back into position so that sifter 21 is automatically forced down upon the top surface of powder 29 and seals the powder in the lower portion of the well out of contact with the powder puff as explained above. When the user desires powder, the cover may be opened by grasping fingerpiece 1, and then by giving handle 30 a slight turn, an application of powder appears on the top surface of sifter 21. This powder may be taken up by the puff and used.

Accordingly I have provided a thoroughly practical and efficient construction in which the several objects hereinabove referred toas well as many others are successfully accomplished.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: i

1. As an article of manufacture, a powder sifter having a plurality of perforations therein, the

edges of said perforations having sharp cutting edges.

2. In a construction of the character described, in combination, a powder container, a powder sifter having a flat plane surface with a plurality of perforations formed therein, said perforations having sharp cutting edges, and means adapted to press said sifter against powder in said container.

3. In a construction of the character described, in combination, means forming a powder container, and a powder sifting unit adapted to fit within said container including a powder sifter,

means for forcing said sifter against the powder in said container, and means for imparting lateral motion to said sifter, said sifter having fiat plane surfaces and perforations with sharp cutting edges.

4. In a construction of the character described, in combination, a powder container including a well, a sifter member slidably fitting within said well and covering the entire cross-section thereof, said sifter having openings with sharp cutting edges, and means adapted to force said sifter against the powder in said well.

5. In a construction of the character described, in combination, a powder container including a well, a flanged ring member disposed in said well, a powder sifter having fiat plane upper and lower surfaces, said sifter having perforations with sharp cutting edges, said sifter being mounted for rotary and vertical movement in said ring member, means for imparting rotary movement to said sifter, and means constantly urging said sifter in one direction of its vertical movement.

THOMAS M. GIBSON. 

